- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
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Explanation: Early Roman interactions with Christianity were highly suspicious - noted is the persistent rumor that Christians were incestuous cannibals, which is why they always insisted on meeting in secret! What dangerous cultists!
Of course, in reality, the whole ‘eating the body and drinking the blood of God in the form of man’ is just a convoluted spiritual thing, not a confession to actual cannibalism, and likewise, calling each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ an expression of spiritual solidarity, not literally asserting that the boy you’re canoodling with is your actual brother. This was recognized early on by Roman authorities like the governor Pliny the Younger and the Emperor Trajan, who noted that the only crime of the Christians was meeting in secret and being superstitious.
Nevertheless, the rumors never fully stopped - bizarre folks, these Christians! Can’t trust 'em!
Thanks for the disclaimer. The only thing I’d like to add is that in modern theology it depends on the denomination on where in the physical to spiritual spectrum Christ’s body is present from the Transubstantiation of Catholics to the entirely spiritual remembence of Reformed Protestants.
I could imagine how scary it would be for the Roman pagans to have to deal with a cult that claimed to be able to eat a god.
There is a reason the only branches of Christianity to survive were those not trying to break away from Rome.
But numerous non-Roman branches of Christianity survived?
Christians used Rome as a tool against their enemies much more than the reverse.
I don’t know, I always assumed the later branches evolved from the ones that survived inside empire the first 200 years. I could be wrong ?
Edit phrase
Of the major branches, only those derived from Catholic/Orthodox sects (including Protestants) are those which evolved inside the Empire.
Those derived from the Nestorian and Oriental Orthodox Churches evolved in the Caucasus and Mesopotamia, in regions outside of Rome’s control or where its control was marginal, and in Ethiopia.
I looked up those, on Wikipedia, because I don’t know much, and they both evolved after 300, and seem to be evolved from ideas that grew inside the empire before then.
I would be interested in finding sects that started before the year 200 that were founded outside of Roman controlled areas. I am sure there are but would need a name to look up
